Before I began fly fishing, I fished the park for a long time with rooster tails and caught fish in the East, Middle and West Prongs of Little River and Abrams Creek. I generally had my best success with black rooster tails, sometimes with a little flash in them.

Just to reinforce what buckeyetrouter said, be sure and stay with the single hook. I have asked by a ranger to show my lures. The single hook variety is a little harder to find but they usually have a supply at Little River Outfitters.

Be careful with the hook situation. I have heard of people getting in trouble because the broke off two of the three hooks on a treble and thought they had a single hook. They were told that it was still a treble hook. I would ask a ranger about that if you were thinking about breaking off two hooks. Rooster tails or Mepps spinners, in a small size, are hard to beat. I would fish the Little River outside the park for Smallmouth, and I would fish Little River at the "Y" just inside the park and up for about 1 mile. The river is big enough to accomodate spinners.

Good Luck.

__________________
Chris McCarthy

Many go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.
- Henry David Thoreau

Between Meigs Falls and the Sinks, my son and I have caught a lot of trout on spinners including the only brown (an 18 incher) that I have caught on LR. This gets you up above the majority of the tubers during the warmer months.

Be careful with the hook situation. I have heard of people getting in trouble because the broke off two of the three hooks on a treble and thought they had a single hook. They were told that it was still a treble hook.

That's just moronic. If you break off two of three hooks, then you hve ONE hook! Nothing like the government to take something simple and make it extremely complicated.

I would also suggest using Trout Magnets, sold at LRO. My daughter's boy friend was camping with my sons and I last summer at Elkmont. He just couldn't get the fly rod thing so I pulled out an ultralight and bought some Trout Magnets in the green weenie color and bubble gum and gave to him. He caught 2 that day, one a nice in brown. Before the day was over both of my sons had gotten spinning gear out and gone to the river. You can use these almost anywhere as far a water size is concerned.

Thanks guys! I usually fly-fish but my uncle has no interests in it so we just throw little rooster tails in fishy looking pools here and there. And thanks for the info on cutting the treble hooks down!! I have a few I have fish without knowing that. I agree the park service is way to mental about that!

If I had to guess, the reason why breaking off the extra hooks isn't legal, is because they have no idea of when it was done? It could be that a person had been using a treble hook and just as a ranger comes up the trail, the person breaks off the other two hooks. Not that anyone would do such a thing...just a guess, but I think that's why broken hooks don't cut it...

I will second the Trout Magnet approach....before my son figured out the ins and outs of fly fishing he was **** on wheels with his utra light spinning rod...take one trout magnet, small hook and a split shot about 12-16" up the line....cast up and across any run and let the current do the rest....just keep up the slack and hold on....same rig works with and nymph....if you want some flash add the magnet to a colorado spinner blade....